A time capsule of the greatest financial mania in the history of mankind, told in real-time by regular folks and patriots. May future generations better understand the madness of crowds, and how power and money corrupt.

1. Return to the bartender job at a crappy nightclub2. Work in a Phoenix call center doing telemarketing3. Get some other cold-calling sales job like slinging insurance

I was thrilled when the obnoxious mortgage brokers in my building couldn't pay the rent anymore and got thrown out. Everyone hated them and their yelling and high-fives every time they gamed a new victim.

Then again, probably not. If he had called ME back, I would have SCORCHED HIS EAR!!!

I have little patience with people who call me during dinner or during (home) school and try to sell me something I don't want.

If their product was that compelling, I'd be calling them.

Then again, if it was compelling, they probably wouldn't NEED people bothering people at home.

(My favorite trick is to pretend like I don't speak English... if they start talking to me, I'll just answer them in Korean. The best reaction was a girl who just kept speaking more slowly and LOUDER until I hung up on her... she did call back, though!)

While I agree with most things on this blog, there are a couple of things I have to say.

1] What is wrong if a poor or non-white person games the system like our 'corporate gods'. Both are screwing the long term for short term gain. Why should a poor or mexican person have more ethics than 'agent orange' or any person in Goldman-Sachs or Lehman brothers.

The problem is the system is screwed, we reward short term gain over long term stability. This is the fruit of the socio-economic changes that started under Reagan. We were 'told' that it was ok to screw over someone poorer or different, because if they could not fight back they deserved it. Well the wheel has turned further than what that bastard (and his supporters) wanted.

2] Why try to rewrite history and say FDR prolonged the depression. While some of the early stuff he did was not sound and might have prolonged the misery, the reality is that he prevented the worser outcomes. It is hard for someone in Jan 2008 to realize the depth of the crisis in Jan 1933.

Imagine living in a dog-eat-dog country without a job, unemployment insurance, social security, systematic bank failure, massive unemployment and most importantly no hope. Do you really think that anything short of the 'new deal' could have prevented massive internal social and civil unrest.

Then again we might revisit this in 12 months.. maybe jan 2009 will be like jan 1933. Has anyone read a book that says that there is a monumental existential crisis (and reorganization) in the USA approximately every 80 years. Maybe this is the one in our generation.

They go into selling employee healthcare plans... had friends I went to college with in the mid-1990s go work for small brokerage houses in NYC (read: schlock firms) selling pump and dump stocks. After that blew up they transfered over to the mortgage business. After a good run of 4+ years of refinances and no-doc loans they rolled over to the insurance business- selling employee health insurance to small businesses. So, my guess would be health insurance...

to anon 12:00 amThey will all just move on to the next hot scam. Potential future fraud venues:

1-Foreclosure rescue

2-Credit repair

3-Reverse mortgages for baby boomers

4-Investment schemes-------------------

Absolutely. You are spot on with those predictions. Defintely forclosure rescure, its already here, and so is reverse mortgages which are starting to make headway.

And as people lose there piece of shit mcjobs, more and more people will fall for the lazy man's panacea of the get rich quick "investment" schemes.

Hmmmm? You just got me thinking. I think I just might start my own latest "investment" scheme for out of work realtors... How to help "defrauded" home owners and flippers sell their worthless properties to Nigerian investment scammers... limited time only- get your detailed report now for just 3 easy payments of $29.99!

Imagine what would happen if all the scammers all across the country were actually applying themselves to productive enterprises. Imagine the value that could be added to the economy and enjoyed by everyone.

They could be repairing roads, keeping the streets safe, nursing, whatever.

The standard of living in a country is tied directly to the productivity of its market participants. These people are utterly unproductive, adding nothing of value to our economy. In short, they are parasites.

When you see one of these people, when you meet one, you owe it to yourself and the rest of us to let them know what they are. Because I don't think they realize what useless burdens they are on society.